The Milwaukee Brewers have a long history of rostering players that are adept at hitting home runs. One of the team’s retired numbers, number 44, was worn by Hank Aaron who was Major League Baseball’s all-time home run leader for decades. Of the 28 players in history that are members of the 500 home run club, two of them played for the Brewers (Aaron and Gary Sheffield).
Of course, both of those players hit most of their home runs for other teams, as did 400 home run hitter Nelson Cruz (464). However, the Brewers have had several players come through their system that have hit between 200 and 300 home runs, and who had productive seasons in Milwaukee.
In a recent article on Bleacher Report that lists the “Mount Rushmore” of home run hitters for every team, Major League Baseball analyst Joel Reuter identified four players he believes are the best home run hitters in Brewers history.
Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder Highlight the Milwaukee Brewers’ Mount Rushmore of Home Run Hitters
In his article, Reuter has the following four players on the Brewers’ Mount Rushmore of home run hitters:
- Ryan Braun
- Prince Fielder
- Gorman Thomas
- Jeromy Burnitz
He explains his choice of Burnitz with the following:
“Sluggers Jeromy Burnitz, Geoff Jenkins and Richie Sexson were the star players for the Brewers during some lean years, and it came down to a debate between those three for the final spot. With four 30-homer performances in five full seasons in Milwaukee, Burnitz ended up getting the nod.”
Braun is the Brewers’ all-time leader in home runs with 352. Fielder hit 230 in just seven seasons with Milwaukee, averaging 38 home runs and 108 RBI from 2006-2011. He also became the youngest player in Major League history to hit 50 home runs in a season in 2007.
Thomas makes sense for this list as well. From 1978-1982, he averaged 35 home runs and 98 RBI per season, leading the American League in the category twice. In 1979, he hit a then-franchise record 45 bombs. The record was matched by Richie Sexson in 2003 and broken by Fielder in 2007.
It is understandable that Reuter had an internal debate between Burnitz, Jenkins, and Sexson, but the fact of the matter is that in five seasons with Milwaukee, Burnitz never hit fewer than 27 home runs in a season. Sexson only played for Milwaukee for two-and-a-half seasons, and Jenkins battled injuries for a good portion of his career and only hit more than 30 home runs in a season once.
What Other Milwaukee Brewers Sluggers Could Have Been on Their Mount Rushmore?
If Christian Yelich can stay relative healthy and start hitting with power that approaches the kind he had in 2018 and 2019, an argument could be made that he could earn a place on this list. With 36 home runs in ’18 and 44 in ’19, it looked like it was a sure thing that he would shoot up the franchise home run leaderboard. However, his knee injury towards the end of 2019 set him back a few seasons. He has yet to crack 20 home runs since.
Perhaps this year is the year?
Former right fielder Ben Oglivie should have been given some consideration as well. While he probably does not deserve a place above Burnitz or Thomas, he did lead the American League with 41 home runs in 1980 and hit 34 in 1982. However, in nine seasons with the Brewers, he hit over 20 home runs just three times.
Robin Yount was the Brewers’ all-time home run leader for nearly three decades, but that was more so because he played for them for 20 years. Yount hit over 20 home runs in a season just four times, his career-high being 29 in his 1982 MVP year.
Cecil Cooper, too, could be given some consideration. He hit 20 or more home runs five times in 11 seasons with Milwaukee, including back-to-back 30+ home runs seasons in 1982 and 1983. He hit 201 of his 241 career home runs in a Brewers uniform.
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